U.S. patent application number 14/936021 was filed with the patent office on 2016-03-03 for framework for marketplace analysis.
The applicant listed for this patent is YAHOO! INC.. Invention is credited to Tarun Bhatia, Prasad Chalasani, Rohit Chandra.
Application Number | 20160063522 14/936021 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 49779037 |
Filed Date | 2016-03-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160063522 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bhatia; Tarun ; et
al. |
March 3, 2016 |
FRAMEWORK FOR MARKETPLACE ANALYSIS
Abstract
A marketplace diagnostics framework for analyzing and managing
online marketplaces.
Inventors: |
Bhatia; Tarun; (Oak Park,
CA) ; Chalasani; Prasad; (New York, NY) ;
Chandra; Rohit; (Los Altos, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
YAHOO! INC. |
Sunnyvale |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
49779037 |
Appl. No.: |
14/936021 |
Filed: |
November 9, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13538902 |
Jun 29, 2012 |
9183564 |
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14936021 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.31 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0206 20130101;
G06Q 30/0204 20130101; G06Q 30/0201 20130101; G06Q 30/0202
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/02 20060101
G06Q030/02 |
Claims
1. An electronic device implemented method for managing an online
marketplace, comprising: identifying a fault diagnosis technique
for an online marketplace, where the fault diagnosis technique
comprises procedures and measurements for diagnosing an issue in
the online marketplace; evaluating the procedures and the
measurements of the fault diagnosis technique for the procedures'
and the measurements' effectiveness in diagnosing an issue in the
online marketplace; prioritizing the procedures and the
measurements of the fault diagnosis technique according to at least
the evaluation of the procedures and the measurements; executing at
least one of the procedures and the measurements of the fault
diagnosis technique according to the prioritization of the
procedures and the measurements; storing diagnostic information
resulting from the execution of the at least one of the procedures
and the measurements; generating a remedy according to at least the
diagnostic information; executing the remedy; and evaluating
remediation information resulting from the execution of the
remedy.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: prior to the
identification of the fault diagnosis technique, searching for an
appropriate fault diagnosis technique for a particular online
marketplace.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing the
remediation information and the evaluation of the remediation
information.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: communicating the
remediation information and the evaluation of the remediation
information to an operator of the online marketplace.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: communicating the
remediation information and the evaluation of the remediation
information to another electronic device.
6. The method of claim 1, where the prioritization of the
procedures and the measurements, comprises determining a most
effective procedure for determining an issue occurring in the
online marketplace, and ranking the most effective procedure higher
than other procedures of the fault diagnosis technique.
7. The method of claim 1, where the prioritization of the
procedures and the measurements comprises determining a most
effective measurement for determining an issue occurring in the
online marketplace, and ranking the most effective measurement
higher than other measurements of the fault diagnosis
technique.
8. The method of claim 1, where the prioritization of the
procedures and the measurements, comprises determining a critical
indicator for determining an issue occurring in the online
marketplace, and ranking the critical indicator higher than other
indicators for determining an issue occurring in the online
marketplace.
9. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the procedures of
the fault diagnosis technique comprises at least one of the
measurements of the fault diagnosis technique, and where at least
one of the measurements of the fault diagnosis technique comprises
a measurement of an indicator for determining an issue occurring in
the online marketplace.
10. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the procedures of
the fault diagnosis technique comprises statistical modeling for at
least one of the measurements of the fault diagnosis technique.
11. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the procedures of
the fault diagnosis technique comprises a procedure for classifying
a diagnosed issue with respect to an effect of the diagnosed issue
on the online marketplace.
12. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the procedures of
the fault diagnosis technique comprises a procedure for classifying
an overall health state of the online marketplace.
13. The method of claim 12, where the procedure for classifying the
overall health state of the online marketplace comprises measuring
profitability of the online marketplace.
14. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the measurements
of the fault diagnosis technique is a measurement of liquidity in
the online marketplace.
15. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the measurements
of the fault diagnosis technique is a measurement of demand for
products and services distributed in the online marketplace.
16. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the measurements
of the fault diagnosis technique is a measurement of an amount of
transactions or subscriptions in a marketplace.
17. The method of claim 1, where the executing of at least one of
the procedures and the measurements of the fault diagnosis
technique comprises determining cause of an issue in the online
marketplace.
18. The method of claim 17, where the determining the cause of an
issue in the online marketplace is at least based on an evaluation
of historical information.
19. The method of claim 17, where the determining the cause of an
issue in the online marketplace is at least based on an evaluation
of historical information, the issue, and a related issue or
another marketplace.
20. A system comprising at least one computing device operable to:
identify a fault diagnosis technique for an online marketplace,
where the fault diagnosis technique comprises measurements for
diagnosing an issue in the online marketplace; evaluate the
measurements of the fault diagnosis technique for their
effectiveness in diagnosing an issue in the online marketplace;
prioritize the measurements of the fault diagnosis technique
according to at least the evaluation of the measurements; execute
at least one of the measurements of the fault diagnosis technique
according to the prioritization of the measurements; store
diagnostic information resulting from the execution of the at least
one of the measurements; generate a remedy according to at least
the diagnostic information; execute the remedy; and evaluate
remediation information resulting from the execution of the remedy.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field
[0002] Example embodiments relate to marketplace analysis.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Online marketplaces have been emerging for the last two
decades. Online marketplaces, such as eBay, Amazon, and Yahoo have
provided an arena to purchase and advertise various products and
services. For example, billions of dollars are now being spent per
year on online advertising, and there seems to be no end to the
growth of the Internet or online advertising.
[0005] Although companies have achieved great success through
online marketplaces, the scale of large online marketplaces makes
them difficult to analyze and manage efficiently. For example, one
tradeoff can be the complexity of determining pricing and potential
revenue derived from an online advertisement. Another complexity
can be understanding a structure of a marketplace and how various
marketplaces may be interrelated. This is especially difficult,
considering structure of an online marketplace may constantly
change in unpredictable ways. Because of the abovementioned
complexities and other issues that make analyzing and managing of
online marketplaces difficult, users and operators of such
marketplaces would benefit from an effective framework for
analyzing and managing online marketplaces.
SUMMARY
[0006] A system, such as a marketplace diagnostics framework (MDF),
for managing an online marketplace that may be configured to
identify a fault diagnosis technique for an online marketplace,
where the fault diagnosis technique may include procedures and
measurements for diagnosing an issue in the online marketplace.
Prior to the identification of the fault diagnosis technique, the
system may be configured to search for an appropriate fault
diagnosis technique for a particular online marketplace.
[0007] The system may also be configured to evaluate the procedures
and the measurements of the fault diagnosis technique for their
effectiveness in diagnosing an issue in the online marketplace.
Further included may be prioritizing the procedures and the
measurements of the fault diagnosis technique according to at least
the evaluation of the procedures and the measurements. Also
included may be executing at least one of the procedures and the
measurements of the fault diagnosis technique according to the
prioritization of the procedures and the measurements.
[0008] The system may also be configured to: store diagnostic
information resulting from the execution of the at least one of the
procedures and the measurements; generate a remedy according to at
least the diagnostic information; and execute the remedy.
Furthermore, the system may be configured to evaluate remediation
information resulting from the execution of the remedy. Further
included may be storing the remediation information and the
evaluation of the remediation information; and then communicating
the remediation information and the evaluation of the remediation
information to a user or operator of the online marketplace, the
system, or another system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The system may be better understood with reference to the
following drawings and description. Non-limiting and non-exhaustive
embodiments are described with reference to the following drawings.
The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale,
emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of
the invention. In the drawings, like referenced numerals designate
corresponding parts throughout the different views.
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of a
network that can implement one embodiment of a marketplace
diagnostics framework (MDF) for managing and analyzing an online
marketplace;
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of an
electronic device that can implement an aspect of one embodiment of
an MDF; and
[0012] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method that can
be performed by an electronic device, such an application server or
the device of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS
[0013] The scale of online marketplaces makes such marketplaces
difficult to analyze and manage efficiently. Further, the scale
makes remedying issues in an online marketplace problematic. The
analysis and management of an online marketplace is difficult
because online marketplaces typically change unpredictably, and
sometimes the structure of the online marketplace is not well
understood. Using one analogy, an online marketplace may be as
complex as a patient's anatomy and physiology. Therefore, a system
analogous to a system for diagnosing a patient may be beneficial to
parties that desire to analyze and manage an online marketplace.
Further, it may be beneficial if such a system is automated via a
computer information system, for example.
[0014] Described herein is a system, such as a marketplace
diagnostics framework (also referred to herein as the MDF), for
analyzing and managing an online marketplace. Further, the system
provides for determining procedures and measurements for diagnosing
issues in an online marketplace, and for determining remedies for,
at least, alleviating the issues.
[0015] In one embodiment, a computer implementing the MDF may
perform a method for analyzing and managing an online marketplace.
The method for analyzing and managing an online marketplace may
include identifying a fault diagnosis technique for an online
marketplace, where the fault diagnosis technique may include
procedures and measurements for diagnosing an issue in the online
marketplace. Prior to the identification of the fault diagnosis
technique, the method may include searching for an appropriate
fault diagnosis technique for a particular online marketplace. The
method may also include evaluating the procedures and the
measurements of the fault diagnosis technique for their
effectiveness in diagnosing an issue in the online marketplace.
Further included may be prioritizing the procedures and the
measurements of the fault diagnosis technique according to at least
the evaluation of the procedures and the measurements. Also
included may be executing at least one of the procedures and the
measurements of the fault diagnosis technique according to the
prioritization of the procedures and the measurements. The method
may also include storing diagnostic information resulting from the
execution of the at least one of the procedures and the
measurements; generating a remedy according to at least the
diagnostic information; and executing the remedy.
[0016] Furthermore, the method may include evaluating remediation
information resulting from the execution of the remedy.
Subsequently, the method may include storing the remediation
information and the evaluation of the remediation information; and
then communicating the remediation information and the evaluation
of the remediation information to a user or an operator of the
online marketplace or the MDF, the MDF, another system, or another
computer, for example. In one embodiment, feedback may be provided
to the MDF, aspects of the MDF, users of the MDF, and/or other
systems besides the MDF. Such feedback may facilitate automation of
control of the marketplace and/or the MDF.
[0017] In one embodiment, the prioritization of the procedures and
the measurements includes determining a most effective procedure,
measurement, and/or indicator for determining an issue occurring in
the online marketplace, and ranking the most effective procedure,
measurement, and/or indicator higher than other procedures,
measurements, and/or indicators of the fault diagnosis technique,
respectively.
[0018] Also, in one embodiment, at least one of the procedures of
the fault diagnosis technique may include at least one of the
measurements of the fault diagnosis technique, and at least one of
the measurements of the fault diagnosis technique may include a
measurement of an indicator for determining an issue occurring in
the online marketplace and/or a system related to the online
marketplace. Further, at least one of the procedures of the fault
diagnosis technique may include statistical modeling for at least
one of the measurements of the fault diagnosis technique. Also, a
procedure of the fault diagnosis technique may include a procedure
for classifying an overall health state of the online marketplace
and/or a procedure for classifying a diagnosed issue with respect
to an effect of the diagnosed issue on the online marketplace. For
example, the procedure for classifying the overall health state of
the online marketplace may include measuring profitability of the
online marketplace.
[0019] The measurements of the fault diagnosis technique may also
include a measurement of liquidity in the online marketplace, a
measurement of demand for products and services distributed in the
online marketplace, and a measurement of an amount of transactions
or subscriptions in the online marketplace, for example.
[0020] Furthermore, in another embodiment, the executing at least
one of the procedures and the measurements of the fault diagnosis
technique may include determining cause of an issue. The
determination of the cause of an issue in the online marketplace
may be at least based on an evaluation of historical information
regarding the online marketplace, the issue, and/or a related issue
or marketplace, for example.
[0021] In one embodiment, the MDF may classify a marketplace with
respect to its current health state (e.g., with respect to its
current effectiveness, efficiency, profitability, or liquidity).
Also, the MDF may classify a marketplace with respect to its health
state based on transactions within a period of time. The MDF may
also quantify risk and impact of a marketplace within its current
health state, or with respect to a period of time and/or quantity
of transactions within that period of time. These quantifications
may facilitate prioritization of diagnostic procedures,
measurements, and/or indicators of a fault diagnosis technique.
[0022] Further, the MDF may select an action (e.g., a remedy)
associated with a diagnosis, for example, to improve the state of a
marketplace. The MDF may also provide to a user, another system, or
itself, target levels, vital measurements, and reports on progress
of actions to improve the state of a marketplace. Furthermore, the
aforementioned may be provided via fault diagnosis and known
probabilistic models.
[0023] Subject matter will now be described more fully hereinafter
with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part
hereof, and which show, by way of illustration, specific example
embodiments. Subject matter may, however, be embodied in a variety
of different forms and, therefore, covered or claimed subject
matter is intended to be construed as not being limited to any
example embodiments set forth herein; example embodiments are
provided merely to be illustrative. Likewise, a reasonably broad
scope for claimed or covered subject matter is intended. Among
other things, for example, subject matter may be embodied as
methods, devices, components, or systems. Accordingly, embodiments
may, for example, take the form of hardware, software, firmware or
any combination thereof (other than software per se). The following
detailed description is, therefore, not intended to be taken in a
limiting sense.
[0024] Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have
nuanced meanings suggested or implied in context beyond an
explicitly stated meaning Likewise, the phrase "in one embodiment"
as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment
and the phrase "in another embodiment" as used herein does not
necessarily refer to a different embodiment. It is intended, for
example, that claimed subject matter include combinations of
example embodiments in whole or in part.
[0025] The terminology used in the specification is for the purpose
of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be
limiting of example embodiments of the invention. In general,
terminology may be understood at least in part from usage in
context. For example, terms, such as "and", "or", or "and/or," as
used herein may include a variety of meanings that may depend at
least in part upon the context in which such terms are used.
Typically, "or" if used to associate a list, such as A, B or C, is
intended to mean A, B, and C, here used in the inclusive sense, as
well as A, B or C, here used in the exclusive sense. In addition,
the term "one or more" as used herein, depending at least in part
upon context, may be used to describe any feature, structure, or
characteristic in a singular sense or may be used to describe
combinations of features, structures or characteristics in a plural
sense. Similarly, terms, such as "a," "an," or "the," again, may be
understood to convey a singular usage or to convey a plural usage,
depending at least in part upon context. In addition, the term
"based on" may be understood as not necessarily intended to convey
an exclusive set of factors and may, instead, allow for existence
of additional factors not necessarily expressly described, again,
depending at least in part on context.
[0026] Likewise, it will be understood that when an element is
referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element,
it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or
intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element
is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled"
to another element, there are no intervening elements present.
Other words used to describe the relationship between elements
should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., "between" versus
"directly between", "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent",
etc.).
[0027] It will be further understood that the terms "comprises,"
"comprising," "includes" and/or "including," when used herein,
specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,
operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the
presence or addition of one or more other features, integers,
steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof, and
in the following description, the same reference numerals denote
the same elements.
[0028] Now, in order to more specifically describe example
embodiments of the present invention, various embodiments of the
present invention will be described in detail with reference to the
attached drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to
the example embodiments, but may be embodied in various forms. In
addition, the detailed is not intended as an extensive or detailed
discussion of known concepts. As such, details that are known
generally to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may have
been omitted or may be handled in summary fashion.
[0029] While example embodiments have been particularly shown and
described with reference to FIGS. 1-3 it will be understood by one
of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and
details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and
scope of example embodiments, as defined by the following
claims.
[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of a
network 100 that can implement one embodiment of the MDF. As shown,
FIG. 1, for example, the network 100 includes a variety of
networks, such as local area local area network (LAN)/wide area
network (WAN) 105 and wireless network 110, a variety of devices,
such as client device 101 and mobile devices 102-104, and a variety
of servers, such as application servers 107-109 and search server
106.
[0031] A network, such as the network 100, may couple devices so
that communications may be exchanged, such as between a server and
a client device or other types of devices, including between
wireless devices coupled via a wireless network, for example. A
network may also include mass storage, such as network attached
storage (NAS), a storage area network (SAN), or other forms of
computer or machine readable media, for example. A network may
include the Internet, one or more local area networks (LANs), one
or more wide area networks (WANs), wire-line type connections,
wireless type connections, or any combination thereof. Likewise,
sub-networks may employ differing architectures or may be compliant
or compatible with differing protocols, may interoperate within a
larger network. Various types of devices may, for example, be made
available to provide an interoperable capability for differing
architectures or protocols. As one illustrative example, a router
may provide a link between otherwise separate and independent
LANs.
[0032] A communication link or channel may include, for example,
analog telephone lines, such as a twisted wire pair, a coaxial
cable, full or fractional digital lines including T1, T2, T3, or T4
type lines, Integrated Services Digital Networks (ISDNs), Digital
Subscriber Lines (DSLs), wireless links including satellite links,
or other communication links or channels, such as may be known to
those skilled in the art. Furthermore, a computing device or other
related electronic devices may be remotely coupled to a network,
such as via a telephone line or link, for example.
[0033] A wireless network, such as wireless network 110, may couple
client devices with a network. A wireless network may employ
stand-alone ad-hoc networks, mesh networks, Wireless LAN (WLAN)
networks, cellular networks, or the like. A wireless network may
further include a system of terminals, gateways, routers, or the
like coupled by wireless radio links, or the like, which may move
freely, randomly or organize themselves arbitrarily, such that
network topology may change, at times even rapidly. A wireless
network may further employ a plurality of network access
technologies, including Long Term Evolution (LTE), WLAN, Wireless
Router (WR) mesh, or 2nd, 3rd, or 4th generation (2G, 3G, or 4G)
cellular technology, or the like. Network access technologies may
enable wide area coverage for devices, such as client devices with
varying degrees of mobility, for example.
[0034] For example, a network may enable RF or wireless type
communication via one or more network access technologies, such as
Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS), General Packet Radio Services
(GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), 3GPP Long Term
Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced, Wideband Code Division Multiple
Access (WCDMA), Bluetooth, 802.11b/g/n, or the like. A wireless
network may include virtually any type of wireless communication
mechanism by which signals may be communicated between devices,
such as a client device or a computing device, between or within a
network, or the like.
[0035] Signal packets communicated via a network, such as a network
of participating digital communication networks, may be compatible
with or compliant with one or more protocols. Signaling formats or
protocols employed may include, for example, TCP/IP, UDP, DECnet,
NetBEUI, IPX, Appletalk, or the like. Versions of the Internet
Protocol (IP) may include IPv4 or IPv6.
[0036] The Internet refers to a decentralized global network of
networks. The Internet includes local area networks (LANs), wide
area networks (WANs), wireless networks, or long haul public
networks that, for example, allow signal packets to be communicated
between LANs. Signal packets may be communicated between nodes of a
network, such as, for example, to one or more sites employing a
local network address. A signal packet may, for example, be
communicated over the Internet from a user site via an access node
coupled to the Internet. Likewise, a signal packet may be forwarded
via network nodes to a target site coupled to the network via a
network access node, for example. A signal packet communicated via
the Internet may, for example, be routed via a path of gateways,
servers, etc. that may route the signal packet in accordance with a
target address and availability of a network path to the target
address.
[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of one embodiment of an
electronic device 200 that can implement an aspect of one
embodiment of the MDF. Instances of the electronic device 200 may
include servers, such as servers 106-109, and client devices, such
as client devices 101-104. A client device may be a desktop
computer, a laptop computer, a tablet, or a smartphone, for
example. In general, the electronic device 200 can include a
processor 202, memory 210, a power supply 206, and input/output
components, such as network interface(s) 230, an audio interface
232, a display 234, a key pad or keyboard 236, an input/output
interface 240, and a communication bus 204 that connects the
aforementioned elements of the electronic device. The network
interfaces 230 can include a receiver and a transmitter (or a
transceiver), and an antenna for wireless communications. The
processor 202 can be one or more of any type of processing device,
such as a central processing unit (CPU). Also, for example, the
processor 202 can be central processing logic; central processing
logic includes hardware, firmware, software and/or combinations of
each to perform a function(s) or an action(s), and/or to cause a
function or action from another component. Also, based on a desired
application or need, central processing logic may include a
software controlled microprocessor, discrete logic such as an
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a
programmable/programmed logic device, memory device containing
instructions, or the like, or combinational logic embodied in
hardware. Also, logic may also be fully embodied as software. The
memory 210, which can include RAM 212 or ROM 214, can be enabled by
one or more of any type of memory device, such as a primary
(directly accessible by the CPU) and/or a secondary (indirectly
accessible by the CPU) storage device (e.g., flash memory, magnetic
disk, optical disk). The RAM can include an operating system 221,
data storage 224, and applications 222, such as an embodiment the
MDF 223. Further description of operation of one embodiment of the
MDF 223 will be provided below in conjunction with FIG. 3. The ROM
can include BIOS 220 of the electronic device 200. The power supply
206 contains one or more power components, and facilitates supply
and management of power to the electronic device 200. The
input/output components can include any interfaces for facilitating
communication between any components of the electronic device 200,
components of external devices (such as components of other devices
of the network 100), and end users. For example, such components
can include a network card that is an integration of a receiver, a
transmitter, and one or more I/O interfaces. A network card, for
example, can facilitate wired or wireless communication with other
devices of a network. In cases of wireless communication, an
antenna can facilitate such communication. Also, the I/O
interfaces, can include user interfaces such as monitors,
keyboards, touchscreens, microphones, and speakers. Further, some
of the I/O interfaces and the bus 204 can facilitate communication
between components of the electronic device 200, and in one
embodiment can ease processing performed by the processor 202.
[0038] Where the electronic device 200 is a client device, it can
include a computing device capable of sending or receiving signals,
such as via a wired or a wireless network. A client device may, for
example, include a desktop computer or a portable device, such as a
cellular phone telephone, a smart phone, a display pager, a radio
frequency (RF) device, an infrared (IR) device, a Personal Digital
Assistant (PDA), a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a laptop
computer, a set top box, a wearable computer, an integrated device
combining various features, such as features of the forgoing
devices, or the like.
[0039] Also, a client device may vary in terms of capabilities or
features. Claimed subject matter is intended to cover a wide range
of potential variations. For example, a cell phone embodiment may
include a numeric keypad or a display of limited functionality,
such as a monochrome liquid crystal display (LCD) for displaying
text. In contrast, however, as another example, a web-enabled
client device may include one or more physical or virtual
keyboards, mass storage, one or more accelerometers, one or more
gyroscopes, global positioning system (GPS) or other
location-identifying type capability, or a display with a high
degree of functionality, such as a touch sensitive color 2D or 3D
display, for example.
[0040] Further, a client device may include or may execute a
variety of operating systems, including a personal computer
operating system, such as a Windows, iOS or Linux, or a mobile
operating system, such as iOS, Android, or Windows Mobile, or the
like. A client device may include or may execute a variety of
possible applications, such as a client software application
enabling communication with other devices, such as communicating
one or more messages regarding operation or configuration of the
MDF. A client device may also include or execute an application to
communicate content related to the MDF, such as, for example,
textual content, multimedia content, or the like. A client device
may also include or execute an application to perform a variety of
possible tasks, such as browsing, searching, or analyzing forms of
content related to the MDF.
[0041] Where the electronic device 200 is a server, it can include
a computing device that is capable of sending or receiving signals,
such as via a wired or wireless network, or may be capable of
processing or storing signals, such as in memory as physical memory
states, and may, therefore, operate as a server. Thus, devices
capable of operating as a server may include, as examples,
dedicated rack-mounted servers, desktop computers, laptop
computers, set top boxes, integrated devices combining various
features, such as two or more features of the foregoing devices, or
the like.
[0042] Further, a server may vary widely in configuration or
capabilities, but generally, a server may include one or more
central processing units and memory. A server may also include one
or more mass storage devices, one or more power supplies, one or
more wired or wireless network interfaces, one or more input/output
interfaces, or one or more operating systems, such as Windows
Server, Mac OS X, Unix, Linux, FreeBSD, or the like. Particularly,
the server may be an application server that includes a
configuration to provide an application, such as one embodiment of
the MDF, via a network to another device. Also, an application
server may, for example, host a website that can provide a user
interface for one embodiment of the MDF.
[0043] Further, an application server may provide a variety of
services that include web services, third-party services, audio
services, video services, email services, instant messaging (IM)
services, SMS services, MMS services, FTP services, voice over IP
(VOIP) services, calendaring services, photo services, or the like,
all of which may work in conjunction with the MDF. Examples of
content provide by the abovementioned applications, including one
embodiment of the MDF, may include text, images, audio, video, or
the like, which may be processed in the form of physical signals,
such as electrical signals, for example, or may be stored in
memory, as physical states, for example.
[0044] FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by an
electronic device, such as a computer, implementing an example
embodiment of the MDF (method 300). In short, the method 300 may
analyze and manage an online marketplace; and besides a computer,
the method may be performed by a variety of electronic devices,
such an application server or, in general, the device of FIG. 2.
Further, in one embodiment, a processor (e.g., the processor 202)
can perform the method 300 by executing processing device readable
instructions encoded in memory (e.g., the memory 210). In such an
embodiment, the instructions encoded in memory may include example
aspects of the MDF mentioned below.
[0045] The method 300 begins with a first aspect of the MDF
searching for, identifying, and evaluating an appropriate fault
diagnosis technique for an online marketplace (at block 302). A
fault diagnosis technique may include various procedures,
measurements, and indicators for determining health of a
marketplace and diagnosing issues with respect to health of a
marketplace. Further, the fault diagnosis technique may include use
of various statistical models, such as Bayesian Nets and Markov
Processes. These and other possible statistical models may be part
of one or more analytics libraries, for example.
[0046] Further, in performing method 300, the MDF may initiate the
method with respect to a set of known features, factors, and states
related to the MDF-managed online marketplace. Known features may
include profit margins and liquidity measurements, for example.
[0047] The method 300 then with a second aspect of the MDF,
prioritizes procedures, measurements, and/or indicators of the
appropriate fault diagnosis technique according to the evaluation
at 302 (at block 304); and a third aspect activates the procedures
and/or the measurements of the appropriate fault diagnosis
technique (at block 306). For example, the second aspect may
determine critical indicators for determining issues or the overall
health of a marketplace. Further, the second aspect may then rank
these indicators, and procedures and measurements for identifying
and measuring such indicators, by their effectiveness and/or
efficiency, for example. The procedures may include procedures for
classifying issues and the overall health state of the marketplace.
For example, various measurements can be made in addition to
standard techniques, and their metrics may be combined in an
analysis of the marketplace. Examples of measurements may include
measurements of indicators, such as liquidity of the marketplace,
demand for products and services distributed in the marketplace,
and/or prices of such products and services, all of which may be
critical indicators. The measurements may also include or relate to
measurements of other indicators, which may be critical indicators
too, such as an amount of transactions or subscriptions in a
marketplace, and measurements regarding efficiency of clearance of
surplus products and services. For example, a measurement may
include tracking fulfillment of products for sale online via an
online advertising link.
[0048] Measurements may also include measurements of subscription
rates, liquidity, monetization yield for sellers (or publishers)
and/or network of sellers, quality of demand fulfillment, quality
of matching, and end user activity for long and/or short term
engagements. Measurements of subscription rates may include
measurements of supply by sellers and demand by buyers in the
marketplace. This measurement may include measurements of committed
inventory from sellers or spending by buyers, for example.
Measurements of liquidity may include measurements of reliability
and frequency of transactions in the marketplace, which may be
indicated by volume of transactions and speed of these
transactions, for example. Measurements of monetization yield for
sellers may include measurements of variance in rates controlled by
the marketplace and rates controlled by alternative marketplaces.
Measurements of quality of demand fulfillment may include inquiring
about allocation of ad inventory, price paid with respect to buyer
expectations, and value as indicated in a purchase, for example.
Measurements of quality of matching may include measuring
appropriate distance metrics with respect to a space of subscribed
demand and classified inventory. Measurements of end user activity
for long and/or short term engagements may include measurements of
session length, visitation frequency, depth of services invoked,
and footprints of data generated within a network. This may be
measured to monitor impact of matching inventory supply and
advertising demand, for example.
[0049] With respect to classifying issues and the overall health
state of the marketplace, classifying a condition of a marketplace
may include identifying the most relevant states of an online
marketplace. In other words, the states that have the most material
impact on profit, demand, or liquidity, for example. Such
identifying may include unstructured learning (e.g., non-parametric
clustering, or infinite mixture models) to determine an appropriate
amount of states to consider, and to identify the states in
particular.
[0050] In one embodiment, once sufficient factors and conditions
are identified, the identification and prioritization of an
appropriate fault diagnosis technique and aspects of the technique
can utilize supervised learning to build classification models for
assigning a health state to an online marketplace or an aspect of
the marketplace. Also, the MDF can utilize Bayesian Nets and/or
Markov Processes for example, to determine casual influence flows
and independency structures inherent in various factors and
conditions. With results of such modeling, as well as other
techniques described herein, the MDF may identify value in a new
feature or aspect of an online marketplace. Additionally,
diagnosing the new feature may be prioritized over the diagnosis of
other features in the marketplace.
[0051] In supervised learning, a dataset containing pre-classified
objects may be provided to aide in model generation. A resulting
model may then be used to classify subsequent objects, such as
subsequent aspects and states of a marketplace. In contrast,
un-supervised learning does not use known information on
pre-classified objects.
[0052] The method 300 then with a fourth aspect of the MDF performs
the appropriate fault diagnosis for the online marketplace (at
block 308). Performing a fault diagnosis technique may include
identifying or determining the nature and/or cause of an issue in
an online marketplace, such as an error or inefficiency in the
marketplace. The issue may be diagnosed by the fourth aspect of the
MDF through an evaluation of historical information regarding the
marketplace, the issue, and/or related marketplaces or issues. The
diagnosis may also include an examination of an online marketplace
with respect to aspects of the marketplace related to the issue.
Also, a diagnosis may include a comparison of results of an
examination of an online marketplace and the evaluation of
respective historical information.
[0053] For example, the fault diagnosis technique may identify
latencies in an online marketplace (or internet service for
example). These latencies may then be correlated to overall health
of the online marketplace, where the correlations may be based on
historical information gathered from previously ran fault
diagnosis, for example. Further, these latencies, for example, can
facilitate determining the nature and cause of one or more issues
in an online marketplace, respectively. Also, such a determination
may be based on historical information, for example; and such
historical information may be stored in a data repository (e.g.,
relational database) of the MDF, for example. Also, the fourth
aspect may run a fault diagnosis technique or aspects of a fault
diagnosis technique on aspects of an online marketplace or systems
connected to the marketplace.
[0054] With respect to the overall health of the online
marketplace, with the diagnosis of issue(s), the fourth aspect of
the MDF, for example, may classify the marketplace with respect to
the marketplace's health (e.g., error rate, effectiveness, and/or
efficiency). Also, the fourth aspect, for example, may quantify
risk and impact of the marketplace's health. As described herein,
the MDF may then select an action (e.g., remedy), to reduce risk
and impact issues associated with a health classification of the
marketplace (or diagnosis of the marketplace).
[0055] The method 300 then with a fifth aspect of the MDF stores
results of the execution of the appropriate fault diagnosis
technique (at block 310). Further, the fifth aspect of the MDF may
store an effectiveness rating of the one or more of the techniques,
procedures, or measurements discovered by the first aspect. The
fifth aspect may also store a fault diagnosis profile that may
include a particular prioritization of the procedures of the fault
diagnosis technique, for example. The profile may also include
results of one or more diagnoses using the fault diagnosis
technique with a particular prioritization, and other information
related to the fault diagnosis technique with the particular
prioritization. This other information may include effectiveness of
the fault diagnosis technique with the particular prioritization.
Furthermore, another aspect of the MDF may rerun a fault diagnosis
technique periodically, and store the results and effectiveness
ratings of one or more of the procedures of that technique to
determine and track overall effectiveness of the technique through
various periods of time. Also, the periodic performance of the
fault diagnosis technique as well as the other aspects of the MDF
may be automated with little to no operator or user
interaction.
[0056] With respect to method 300, blocks 302 through 310 can be
performed online, offline, or via a combination thereof. For
example, 302 through 310, which results in a profile, can be
performed offline.
[0057] Then, at block 312, a remedy for a diagnosed issue may be
generated by a sixth aspect of the MDF, according to at least the
stored results of block 310. The remedy may be generated online for
example, based on the profile. The remedy may also be based on
historical information related to remedying the diagnosed issue.
Further, the remedy may be based on a group of the profiles. In one
embodiment, multiple profiles that are related may be categorized
and grouped in a categorical profile, for example. In such an
embodiment, the sixth aspect may generate a remedy based on the
categorical profile or an aspect of the categorical profile, for
example.
[0058] Additionally, with generation of the remedy, the sixth
aspect may also generate thresholds, benchmarks, and target
measurements to facilitate determining progress of the remedy. For
example, where a remedy has multiple stages (e.g., multiple
chronological stages), the remedy may include one or more deadlines
(e.g., a specific deadline or range of time for a deadline) and/or
one or more measurement thresholds or benchmarks for one or more of
the multiple stages.
[0059] Also, a remedy may include transition paths for guiding a
marketplace from one state or condition to another state or
condition. Further, a remedy may be transformed into a switch of a
control system for an online marketplace, where the switch may be
continuous or discrete in its control of an aspect of an online
marketplace. A remedy may also include multifaceted procedures that
include various switches; and such procedures may vary over time
with respect to changes in market conditions and an online
marketplace.
[0060] The method 300 then with a seventh aspect of the MDF
executes the remedy (at block 314). For example, the remedy is
executed online.
[0061] The method 300 then with an eighth aspect of the MDF
analyzes the effectiveness of the remedy and stores the analysis
(at block 316). The analysis of the effectiveness of the remedy may
be performed offline, for example, after an evaluation of a
remedied issue. The eighth aspect may also rank the remedies for a
particular issue by effectiveness, for example.
[0062] Finally, the method 300 at block 318, with a ninth aspect of
the MDF provides feedback with respect to the diagnosis technique
and the remedy to respective aspects of the MDF (such as an
analysis of an effectiveness of a remedy to the sixth aspect).
Using this feedback, the sixth aspect may update its generation of
that remedy. Also, the method 300 with the ninth aspect or another
aspect of the MDF may provide feedback to the fifth aspect, for
example. Using this feedback, the fifth aspect may update a
particular profile associated with a diagnosis technique associated
with the remedy. Further, besides the aforementioned feedback, the
ninth aspect, for example, may provide reports and recommendations
to users or operators of the MDF or an online marketplace. These
reports may include information for improving the online market
marketplace or remedying issues within or related to the
marketplace. Such reports may include recommended remedies or
further areas to investigate, for example.
[0063] Additionally, considering the abovementioned feedback and
continuous running of the method 300, the MDF may generate risk
profiles with respect to various states of an online marketplace
over various time periods. Also, such feedback allows for the MDF
to remain flexible to make adaptations with respect to changes in
conditions and structure of an online marketplace.
[0064] From the foregoing, it can be seen that the present
invention provides a diagnostics system for an online marketplace
analogous to a system for diagnosing a patient seeking healthcare.
Further, the diagnostics system, in addition or in conjunction with
another system may provide remedial actions once a diagnosis is
made. Further, provided is a system for deriving the diagnostics
system, wherein generating and selecting procedures for the
diagnostics system includes statistical modeling of the procedures
to determine their effectiveness in making diagnoses.
[0065] As it can be imagined, there are various embodiments for
providing and deriving the marketplace diagnostics framework
described herein. It is therefore intended that the foregoing
detailed description be regarded as illustrative rather than
limiting, and that it be understood that it is the following
claims, including all equivalents, that are intended to define the
spirit and scope of this invention.
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